Ore-furnace and the venting thereof



J. LABARTHE.

ORE FURNACE AND THE VENTlNG THEREOF.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 22, I919.

.Patented Mar. 1,1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 7 ooo booe noo J. LABARTHE.

ORE FURNACE AND THE VENTING THEREOF.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.22,1919. 1,370,215, Patented Mar. 1, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2- ll LABARTHE.

ORE FURNACE AND THE VENTING THEREOF.

APPLlCATlON FILED SEPT. 22. 191 9.

' 1,370,215. Patented Mar. 1, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3- Int/anion w! M L-LABARTHE.

ORE FURNACE AND THE VENTING THEREOF APPLICATION HLED SEPTLZL 1919- Patented 1,1921.

4'SHEETS-SHEEf 4- UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

ORE-FURNACE AN D THE VENTING THEREOF.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 1, 1921.

Application filed September 22, 1919.- Serial No. 325,425.

To all whom it may do'ncern Be it known that I, Jonas LABARTHE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and county ofSan Francisco, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Ore-Furnaces and the Venting Thereof, of which the following is a specification. 7

My invention has for its object the construction and arrangement of the furnace, and its ducts, by which the gases generated are vented so that a better equalization of the ore treatment performed in the said furnace is accomplished, as also a more effective and direct path for the volatile matter and gases takes place from the furnace; resulting in a more efiicient operation of the furnace and treatment of material therein, and gases and fumes therefrom.

Another object of my invention isthe protection of operatives. This is accomplished by the manner in which I vent the fumes and gases. In the fiues as I arrange them, there is always a down draft from the top of the furnace around which the operators. are engaged, thus preventing their coming in contact with-the injurious fumes and gases as heretofore, and permitting easy inspection.

Other objects will appear from the following description and figures.

In furnaces heretofore, ithas been customary to vent the gases from the up'per part at one end or at one place from the side, or vertically upward through the stack or duct.

In my invention I provide a plurality of lateral openings in the upper walls so that the fumes are vented from the entire upper part of the furnace chamber without interfering with the tracks and top portions of the furnace or vertically charging of the furnace.

I also provide primary dust chambers and outlets by which the dust first condensed or primarily collected .in the fiues or ducts is automatically returned to. the furnace through the action ofgravity.

By referring to the. accompanying-figures my invention will be made clear.

Figure 1 is. a cross section on the. line B-B of Fig. 2.

Fig. '2 is a crosssection on the 1ine A--. -A of 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a battery of fur-- naces showing air pipe connections thereto and the discharge fiues and ducts for gases therefrom.

Fig. 4 is a cross section through the bag house showing the fume chamber and means by which the bags are shaken for the re-- covery of flue dust.

Fig. '5 is a plan view of the furnace and associated vent ducts.

For the purpose of illustration I have shown my invention applied tolead smelting furnaces, and it is to be understood that it may beapplied to other forms of furnaces and for other ore treatments, and I desire to be understoodas claiming all such adaptations.

Throughout the figures the same numerals refer to similar parts. 1, 1 are the walls of the furnace in which the charge is loaded from the car 2, through the sliding door 3, to the charge level as 4. Reduction takes place through the chemical action and combustion of the air, fuel, ore and fluxes, constituting the charge. This results in the ore reduction and the collection of the principal metal values in the bottom, or crucible 5, from which the molten metal is withdrawn at the spout 6. Air is fed through the charge under pressure through the twyers as 7, 7 8. 8 which are fed through the valves 9, 10, from the bustle pipes 11, 12, these bustlepipes in turn are supplied from the main blast pipe 13 through the valves 14. 1 Air pressure is supplied tothe blast pipe 13 through suitable compressing means well known in the art and therefore not shown. The action which takes place within the furnace walls 1 results not only in the recovery of the metal values through the metal well 5 and spout 6, but also results in fumes and gases arising above the charge level 4, and which are vented through the fiues 15 and 16. These fiues are provided with lateral openings as 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, through which the gases flow into the fiues 15 and 16; thence into the dust chamber 23 and through one or both of the suction fans 24, 25, into the fume chamber 26, and then the fans 24, 25 and bags 27 may be cut out for the purpose of repairs.

This by-pass is shown at 30 with a controlling valve 81 such that the fumes which pass through the bag house may be diverted without interrupting the operation of the furnaces and may pass through the bypass 30.

By my invention the abstraction of these gases and fumes from the furnace is accom plished so that the action within the furnace charge is more nearly constant, the path of the fumes and gases being substantially the same length through all sections of the mass being treated. a

Openings are provided for the discharge of flue dust which accumulates in the fines and falls by gravity. These openings are as shown at 32, 33, 34 and it is tobe noticed that those at 32, 33 discharge into the furnace thus returning for recovery the least volatile metal dust depositing within the flue and that which may be mechanically carried into the flues.

This first dust which is deposited in the fines contains values which are recovered by automatic return of the said dust into the furnace.

By my'invention the fine dust ultimately recovered from the bags, as 27, is attained preferably by cutting out any row or seei tion of bags at one time, as of those shown in Fig. 4, and mechanically shaking the bags, as by'the apparatus 35. This loosens the dust adhering to the interior of the bag surfaces which then falls through the openings on to the floor of the chamber 26, and

it may be returned to the furnace or treated independently as a lay-product depending upon the nature and degree of the values which it contains.

The system of smelting and recovery of ore values by the employment, of my invention is most advantageously practised by the use of a plurality of furnaces whose flue vents are preferably to communicate in parallel, also the draft pressure connections from whichthe twyers are fed are preferably connected up in parallel; also the plurality of bags, or similar flue dust collection devices, are preferably connected up in parallel. V

Independent dampersor valve means are preferably locatedin all of these ducts, in well known ways and of types'well known,

. by which independent control for each of the units,rducts and filters or rows of bags are employed. 7 y

This system enables the cutting. out of any unit, or group of units, without interrupting the continuity of the process ofreduction, which may thus proceed continuously; and, thereby avoid .the necessity of excessive storage facilities, interruption in labor, or excess equipment, either in the smelting plant or in the line of transportation system from which materials are de-v livered.

Certain other inventions herein shown are made the subject of'separate applications and reference is herein made to my copending applications Serial No. 324,192 filed Sept. 16, 1919, and Serial No. 327,479 filed Sept. 30, 1919. i

I claim:

1. In an ore furnace. a plurality of lat eraily disposed "flues adjacent to the upper partof opposite wallsof he furnace and having connecting passage ways through said walls, by which the furnace fumes pass into the fines, means for venting the fines, the bottom portions of said fines sloping toward the furnace walls, and having other passages therethrough to discharge into the said furnace dust that deposits within said flues.

In anore furnace a plurality of vents disposed horizontally in the upper part of the. laterally disposed walls, said vents communicating with a plurality of fines, and said fines having bottoms adapted to collect andreturn-to the furnace dust that deposits therein by. sliding under the action of gravity on the bottoms of the fines through openings in the furnace walls disposed at a lowerlevel than the said vents. V

In an ore furnace a plurality of vents disposed horizontally in the upper part of the laterally disposed walls said vents com- 'llllllllCitlilllQ with .a plurality of fines, and

said tines having bottoms adapted to collect and return to the furnace dust that deposits therein, in combination with means for coll'ecting further dust which deposits after the, fumes have passed from the furnace fines. l

4. In an elongatedfurnace for the reduct on of ores, air blast inlets disposed in the bottoms of a plurality of'the walls thereof,

plurality of fume outlet vents in the upperportions of the said plurality of walls, a flue for each of the said walls with which the ventsin the said walls communicate.

In an elongated furnace for the reduction of ores, air blast inlets disposed in the bottoms of a plurality of the walls thereof, a plurality of fume outlet vents in the upper portions of the said plurality of walls, a flue for each of the said walls with which the vents in the said walls communicate, the bottoms of the said flues sloping toward and communicating with the interior of the furnace through passage ways whereby the dust deposited from the fumes passing into the flues is returned to the furnace.

6. In anelongatedfurnaee for the reduction of ores, air blast inlets disposed in the bottoms of aplurality of the walls thereof, a plurality of fume outlet vents in the upper portions of the said plurality of walls,

a flue for each of the said walls with which the vents in the said walls communicate, the bottoms of the said flues sloping toward and communicating with the interior of the furnace through passage ways whereby the dust deposited from the fumes passing into the fiues is returned to the furnace, in combination with a dust chamber and ducts by which the fumes are conducted from the fines to the dust chamber, said dust chamber provided with means constructed and adapted to collect the dust and fumes deposited from the gases after they have left the fines and return it to the dust chamber.

7. In a rectangular smelting furnace, a plurality of air blast inlets disposed at the bottom portions of opposite lateral walls, venting outlets disposed along the upper portions of said walls substantially throughout their length, and flues into which the said outlets discharge.

8. In a rectangular smelting furnace a plurality of air blast inlets disposed at the bottom portions of opposite lateral walls, venting outlets disposed along the upper portions of said walls substantially throughout their length, and fines into which the said outlets discharge, the bottoms of the said flues inclined toward the furnace walls, and having openings therefrom substantially throughout the length of said walls by which flue dust deposited on said bottoms is returned therethrough into the furnace.

9. In an ore furnace a plurality of laterally disposed fiues adjacent to the upper part of opposite walls of the furnace and having connecting passage ways through said walls by which the furnace fumes pass into the fines, means for venting the flues, the bottom portions of said flues sloping to ward the furnace walls, and having other passa es therethrough to discharge into the said Furnace dust that deposits within said fines, and an elongated opening at the top of the furnace and removable cover means therefor adapted to facilitate the charging of the furnace.

10. In an ore furnace a plurality of vents disposed horizontally in the upper part of the laterally disposed walls, said vents communicating with a plurality of flues, and said flues having bottoms adapted to collect and return to the furnace dust that deposits therein by sliding under the action of gravity on the bottoms of the fiues through openings in the furnace walls disposed at a lower level than the said vents, the elongated top of the furnace provided with a sliding door substantially throughout the length of said furnace to provide access thereto and for charging.

11. In an elongated furnace for the reduction of ores, air blast inlets disposed in the bottoms of a plurality of the walls thereof, a plurality of fume outlet vents in the upper portions of the said plurality of walls,

. a flue for each of the said walls with which the vents in the said walls communicate, the elongated top of the furnace provided with a sliding door substantially throughout the length of said furnace to provide access thereto and for charging.

12. In a rectangular smelting furnace a plurality of air blast inlets disposed at the bottom portions of opposite lateral walls, venting outlets disposed along the upper portions of said walls substantially throughout their length, and fines into which the said outlets discharge, the elongated top of the furnace provided with a sliding door substantially throughout the length of said furnace to provide access thereto and for charging.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at San Francisco, California, this 16th day of September 1919.

JULES LABARTHE. 

